Journey to Kilimanjaro
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Photos from Day 8
Some crazy driving!
Day 8 - Friday 24th February
High Camp to Mweka Gate
High Camp - 3,950 m Mweka Gate - 1,640 m
13.5 km approx 6 hours
Written by Tina Sibley in March 2022
Video Overview of the day
The morning after
I got a pretty good sleep after my long and exhausting summit night/day coming back down. We were woken at 06.00 am - a little earlier than usual as we had stayed at High Camp instead of Mweka Camp so had further to go today.
The weather this morning was glorious! There was no sign of the wind, rain, hail and snow of the previous night and the sun was shining on Kibo peak.
We also had a presentation planned with the G-Fighters as it was our last morning with them.
Prior to our presentation, I managed to grab a quick video chat with each of the CEOs and with Mustafa and Elisha. The guys were so wonderful. Adolf called me a lioness and Kajeli said I was one of the greatest clients he'd ever had. I was so touched.
For the presentation, I had been chosen to give a little speech of thanks and it was an absolute pleasure to do so as they had been incredible. They had helped all of us so much - and me in particular, and I could barely put into words how grateful to them we all were. Zak presented them with the envelopes containing our tips and then I gave additional tips to the CEOs, Mustafa, Elisha and the 2 guys who carried me down the mountain. Although I gave Kajeli more, on reflection I wish I'd given him a lot more! I still can't believe how much he did for me on summit night. (Update - I managed to get his details from G-Adventures and send more to him when I got home, along with an email to express my heartfelt thanks. Conscience satisfied!)
My chat with Kajeli
Last time with all our G-Fighters
The Final Hike
Having said a sad farewell to the G-Fighters, we set off at about 08.00 am and it was a very steep descent.
We were all in great spirits, including me and I carried my own backpack and kept up with the group. It was really nice to be part of the group again as I'd not been with them for a couple of days.
Gavin has very long legs and found that he needed to go much faster downhill so he and Kajeli went on ahead while Iddy led us and James and Adolf brought up the rear.
The hike was incredibly beautiful as we went back through the rain forest and this has to be one of my favourite parts of the mountain.
Just past half-way, James insisted on taking my backpack off me, even though I was feeling OK with it. He said it was his and I had learned not to argue with him by now, so let him take it.
I was feeling much better overall, the nausea had gone but the last hour or so, the tummy cramps appeared again.
The front side of the Mweka Gate sign
Coming down the mountain it reads "Bon Voyage"
The cafe and shops at Mweka Gate
Lunch at Mweka Gate
We got to Mweka Gate at around 13.30 - after 5.5 hours - shorter than the predicted time on the sign at high camp!
Mweka Gate was great with a little square containing lots of animal sculptures and with cafe tables all around it. There was also a big souvenir shop and it was good to feel back in civilisation again.
We had lunch at around 2pm and although this was at the cafe, we were waited on one last time by Elisha. This was lovely - it was so great to have him serve us - his tall presence was so comforting and we knew we were going to miss him enormously (I would especially miss him bringing me my hot water bottle every night!)
Lunch was good but, by now, my tummy was playing up again and I struggled to eat. The atmosphere was great as some groups were being presented with their certificates and they were singing the Kilimanjaro song.
After lunch, we hit the souvenir shop and I had to run to the bathroom as I had another nasty attack of diarrhoea, much to my dismay!
Lunch at Mweka Gate
Back to Moshi
After lunch, at about 3pm, we boarded our G-Adventures bus and headed back to Moshi, which took a couple of hours.
It was great to see everyone so happy and relaxed - including the guides who had completed a job well done.
When we got back to the Stella Maris Lodge, we had such a welcome from Terri and Innocent who came out and congratulated us and hugged us and we had mango juice waiting for us.
It was a super cool feeling - and we were being watched by a group of people who were about to begin what we had just finished so we felt really triumphant.
Then it was time for the longed for shower and change of clothes! Sadly, I couldn't get my shower working properly and had to go to reception for help. Terri came and got it running warm but after she went, it ran cold and to a trickle again. But it was still nice to finally be clean!
At 5.30pm we had a briefing in the conference room. The last time we were in there was just before we went and what a different feeling it was now. We were briefed by Isaac and he wanted feedback on the team - of course, we gave a glowing report on every single one of the CEOs and the incredible team of G-Fighters.
After this briefing, we went back to sit outside and enjoy drinks while we had our certificate presentation ceremony. At this point, I was SO pleased that Kajeli had got me there. To be the only one not to receive a certificate would have been devastating.
I understood why Kajeli had made Stella Point the initial target as I realised that would have still qualified me to receive a summit certificate. However, getting the Uhuru Peak certificate was infinitely more special.
Each of us went in turn and first of all, we were presented with a Kilimanjaro bracelet by the Moshi Mamas. Then we were congratulated by each of the CEOs and a different CEO gave out the certificates.
It was so lovely and so approprate that Kajeli presented me with my certificate. I gave all the guys a massive hug but my hug with Kajeli was super special and I couldn't thank him enough.
Then it was time for them to leave us. It was SO sad saying goodbye to them! We knew we were going to miss them - and even as I write this some three weeks later, I still miss those guys! They will all occupy a piece of my heart forever!
Receiving my certificate from Kajeli
After the guys had left, we continued chatting until it was nearly time for dinner. I went upstairs to begin packing and was called for my massage with the Moshi Mamas about 5 minutes before we were due to meet for dinner, so I elected to miss the massage as I wanted to eat with the group.
Dinner was lovely but, once again, wasn't the massive celebration I'd imagined it would be. We were all still so very tired and it was sad that our amazing adventure had come to an end.
One thing we learned at dinner, because Gavin spilled the beans, was that Zak and Natalie had got engaged at Uhuru Peak. Zak proposed and Natalie accepted. They had kept it quiet so we didn't know until Gavin mentioned it. We were thrilled for them as they're such a lovely couple.
I still couldn't eat much at dinner, but managed to find room for the amazing ice cream that they served up at Stella Maris! Then we went up to the bar for drinks and to chat for a bit longer before heading off to bed.
We were all due to leave at diffent times the following day, so we said our goodbyes and it was very sad to be leaving such a lovely group of people.
Uhuru Peak! I had made it to the very top!
When I finally got to bed, I couldn't sleep at all. I couldn't help re-living the experience over and over in my mind - especially summit night.
It was actually nice to be alone with my thoughts and to savour every part of the adventure - even the bits where I was so poorly. In a weird way, being sick and being looked after had made some parts of it even more special. I built up a special relationship and bond with the guides who cared for me and it had been so hard to say goodbye.
Even though it's their job and they move on to the next group, Iddy had said that we become like family and that it's hard for them to say goodbye too.
